


Your Mess Is Mine

by Elowenmae



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, M/M, Malec, Sizzy - Freeform, clace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-23 14:27:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11404317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elowenmae/pseuds/Elowenmae
Summary: Rafael Lightwood-Bane, now seventeen, must learn to deal with his own problems in the Shadow World as he grows. Unexpectedly, a girl appears in his life that has a few problems of her own. Abigail isn't from the family that she thought she was. As Rafael and his warlock brother take on the task of figuring out Abigail's past, her mess becomes theirs.





	1. Chapter 1

Rafael Lightwood-Bane slept soundly asleep in his bed. The sun began to creep through the brown curtains that his papa had chosen. He rolled away from the sunlight, grabbing the comforter and pulling it up to his chin leaving his toes bare. He curled his feet in and pulled his legs to his chest, not liking the fact that one part on his body wasn’t covered.

A knock on the door startled him out of his slumber. His eyes fluttered for a bit adjusting to the bright light. He sighed, looking at his alarm clock, it was 8:56 a.m.

“Up you get, Rafe,’’ his dad called.

He ignored his wake up call for a few minutes, hoping that he would drift off into sleep again. Rafael knew that if he didn’t get up, that his parents would hound him. So he climbed out of bed, his legs and torso feeling the cool air. He walked to his closet. Rafael’s closet was considerably smaller than his papa’s. His papa was all about fashion and had every piece of clothing possible. His dad, on the other hand, was completely opposite. His dad always admired his papa’s clothing from afar, but never wanted to wear it himself.

He opened the door with a creak. His outfit for the day was a grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans, a very classic Rafael choice. He changed his boxers and put on his clothes before taking a look in the mirror. He combed his dark hair with his fingers and agreed with himself that his hair looked fine.

The scent of breakfast hung in the air. His parents always made breakfast together. It was some weird tradition they had made together before they adopted Rafael or his younger warlock brother, Max. He left his room and headed for the kitchen where he found his parents hovering over the stove.

“Good morning,’’ he said to his parents.

“Good morning, dear,’’ papa said looking up from the stove with a frying pan full of eggs in his hands.

Rafael sat on the stool in front of the kitchen island, the spot where he always sat. Usually Max would’ve sat next to him, but today he was gone. He told Rafael that he was going to be gone early in the morning practicing his magic. It was beginning to become hardtop have breakfast as a family. Some days; ax was gone, some days Rafael was gone.

His dad set down an empty plate in front of him and slid a cup of coffee over. Black coffee of course.

“What are your plans for today, Rafe?’’ papa asked putting scrambled eggs onto his plate and giving him a fork. He took a sip of coffee before answering.

“I was just going to go to institute. I have some training to do and Izzy and Simon want me to watch Anna again,’’ he informed his fathers.

Anna was his aunt and uncle’s eight year old daughter. Anna had been Rafael’s suggestion of a name since Anna was an old relative on the Lightwood side. She was a mischievous little girl, with soft brown and brown eyes. Rafael couldn’t help but to think of how much she looked like her father, but behaved like her mother.

“They should let Charlie watch her sometime,’’ dad said, but Rafael only snorted.

“Not a chance. Charlie and Anna together? It would be hell,’’ Rafael laughed and so did his papa.

“Those two would be in trouble for days,’’ papa said.

Rafael took a bite of his eggs as his dad said, “Charlie seems well behaved around Jace and Clary.’’ Charlie was their 10 year old son. He was a spitting image of Jace, but had strawberry blonde hair instead of golden.

“Yeah, around Jace and Clary. Trust me dad, Ive seen it all,’’ Rafael said to his dad who was holding a black spatula that match his dark hair.

“I had to deal with Jace and all his crazy shot for how many years?’’ he pointed the spatula at Rafael, “Now, son, it’s your turn.’’

Magnus laughed, moving towards his husband. He put a hand on his chest and kissed him before grabbing the spatula out of his hands and put it into the sink. He let the blue sparks of his magic run over all the dirty dishes, cleaning them and putting them away into the cupboards. “Alexander, I think we should go to the institute too,’’ Magnus brought up the idea.

Alec leaned up against the count, his hands gripping the edge. “Sure,’’ was his answer, “I actually need to talk to Izzy about something.’’ He sipped his own cup of coffee, his eyes following Magnus as he went to the refrigerator and grabbed himself the carton of milk. He used his magic to get himself a glass and poured the milk in.

“What about?’’ Rafe asked, chewing on his eggs as his papa flashed the milk out.

“There is a family up in Canada that run the institute. Apparently they have invited us to their annual ball,’’ his dad told him.

“All of us? Like the kids too?’’ Rafael questioned, surprised that someone would want all 9 of them there. When they did go out together, it looked like a herd of animals. Anna always held Simon’s hand in the beginning, but by the end of the day, she was often found in Rafael’s arms. Charlie, on the other hand, was either way ahead of the group or way behind.

His dad nodded, taking another gulp of coffee. “I’m not too sure if they’ll bring Anna and Charlie. That’s what I wanted to talk to her about.’’

Rafael turned to his other dad, “Papa, were you planning on going?’’

“Of course! Any excuse for the Lightwood-Bane’s to look amazing.’’

“Please, nothing to extravagant, Mags’’ Alec pleaded and Magnus kissed him on the cheek.

“I promise.’’

 

It was 10:30 by the time Alec, Magnus and Rafael got to the institute. Magnus portaled them into maintenance where they found Clary and Simon. They looked like they just had woken up, but seemed to be deep in discussion.

“Good morning,’’ Magnus said adjusting his sleeve on his maroon sweater.

“Good morning,’’ Simon replied. “You’re here awfully early.’’

“It’s nearly 11, Simon,’’ Alec pointed out, checking his watch.

“Is it? It’s always early with a child,’’ he rubbed his forehead. Simon was sporting a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that had what looked to be vomit on it. Anna must have been ill during the night, and Simon never bothered to change his shirt.

Alec pointed to the smudged, brown substance on Simon’s shirt. “Is that vomit?’’ asked Alec, his eyes wide. Simon looked down at what he was wearing.

“Yeah. Anna, she must’ve ate something,’’ Simon confirmed.

“Must’ve been Izzy’s cooking,’’ Clary mumbled and everyone laughed. Isabelle had never been a cook. In fact, she was a terrible cook. Truly awful. Everything she made was either disgusting to look at, or inedible.

“That’s the one thing that I don’t miss about having young kids. They’re always sick and too young to bare marks to make them feel better,’’ Magnus said while giving Rafael a side hug, remembering all the times young Rafael was sick.

“Speaking of bearing marks, Simon and I were just talking about Charlie’s rune ceremony,’’ Clary mentioned.

Rafael couldn’t believe that Charlie was having his rune ceremony soon. It seemed like yesterday that Rafael was receiving his very own rune with his papa tearing up and his dad supporting him.

“We’ll have to have a party!’’ exclaimed Magnus and everyone agreed that if there was going to be a party, that Magnus would have to throw it.

The adults continued to talk and chatter and eventually sat down on the institute couches, Rafael managed to slip away from the group with giving them all a wave and a wonk smile. He headed down the halls where all the pictures of old Shadowhunters hung. He was making his way to Anna’s room. Even if she was sick, he still wanted to see her cute little brown eyes.

When he got to the door, he turned the knob quietly in case she was sleeping. The door creaked, and he looked in. She seemed to be stirring awake, probably from the squeaky door. He slid into the room and closed the door behind him. She pushed her body up with her elbows, then rubbed her eyes.

“Daddy?’’ she asked, squinting with her eyes still adjusting to the light.

“No, Annie, it’s Rafe.’’It was common for Rafael to call Anna by her nickname, Annie. Charlie gave her the nickname when she was just born and he couldn’t pronounce Anna.

Her face perked up slightly. She was so pale with nothing in her system. Her hair was sprawled across her pillow in an untidy mess.

“Hi,’’ she said, her eyes falling back down. It was obvious that the little girl was tired.

Rafael sat down on the edge of her wooden bed. “How are you feeling?’’ He knew that she wasn't feeling well and that the answer would be “not good” but he felt obligated to ask anyways. 

She put a single finger to her lips and shushed him in the nicest way possible. He couldn't do anything but laugh. Anna had always been quite spunky and sassy, but in a good way. 

He put his arm along her foot that was tucked under the covers neatly. She looked so peaceful as she tried to sleep. “I'll leave you then, Annie,” he said as he stood up. 

Her eyes shot open. “No. Tell me about Anna,” she asked, referring to her relative. 

Magnus had told Rafael and Alec all about Anna Lightwood. So Rafael started with, “She was the daughter of Cecily Herondale and Gabriel Lightwood.” Anna nodded her eyes closing again at the sound of his voice. “She had her mother’s black hair and her father’s green eyes. Anna was always confident and high-spirited,” Rafe told her. “Like you.” She giggled. “Alexander and Christopher were her younger brothers and James and Lucie Herondale were her cousins.”

“Alexander,”she said to herself, her eyebrows knitting together as if she was thinking. “Was Alec named after him?” She asked. 

Rafael thought for a moment. “Yes. Do you know Alec's middle name?” She shook her head lightly. “It's Gideon. After Gabriel's brother.”

“Why is everyone named after dead people?” She questioned, her voice barely at a whisper. 

He smiled, knowing that many Shadowhunters were named after old relatives or notable others. “The Lightwoods, Annie, are amazing,” he exaggerated his voice even though it was true. “To be named after a Lightwood is in incredibly honourable. Not to mention, your name if perfect for you.” She opened one eye and smiled. He winked happily at his cousin. 

The door opened slightly and a head pops led through. Rafael looked over, slightly startled and unprepared for his papa. Magnus opened the door all the way and said, “I thought you'd be in here, Rafe.” He walked over to the bed and knelt down to reach Anna's height. “My dear Anna, how are you?” He asked, stroking her brown hair.

She released her arms from beneath the covers and stretched them. “My head hurts a bit,” was her answer. 

Magnus placed a kiss on her forehead and told her to feel better soon. Magnus looked a Rafael and cocked his head towards the door, giving him the sign that they needed to leave. 

“I need to go, Annie, but I'll be back later,” he told her as he stood up and began to walk to the door with his papa. They left the room quietly and made their way down the hall, passing the stained glass and paintings on the gray walls. 

“Poor little girl” papa said. 

“Yeah. I feel bad leaving her. There is just nothing to do while you're sick,” Rafael agreed with his papa.

They passed more bedrooms until they reached and long hallway with two, big doors. The knobs were detailed with budding runes and marks. Magnus opened the door to the training room, letting Rafe in. He closed the door behind him as the sun hit his face. In the training room, there was a large window that let in all the sunlight. It nearly covered the entire wall, but from the outside, it would just look like broken glass to the mundanes. 

For a bit, they all lived at the institute together, when Alec would still be on call for duty during the night. Rafael could remember the nights that his dad would bring him to the training room when he was a young boy. They laid down on the cool tiles and looked up at the window. All that was visible were the stars and the moon. Endless stories were told. Ones of his dad’s adventures with all Rafaels uncles and aunts and ones of him and papa. 

Rafael searched the room with his eyes, checking to see if anyone was there. He couldn't help but wonder why papa had led him there. He did want to do some training, but he was procrastinating and wanted to do it later.

“Get dressed Rafael.” He heard his dad’s voice, but didn't know where it was coming from. “We’re on duty, we've got to go,” his dad said, his voice projecting in the large room. 

Rafe turned to where he thought dad’s voice was coming from and he wasn't surprised to find him already dressed in gear. He was standing beside the closer that held their shadowhunting gear. Alec already had some in his hands for Rafael. 

He jogged over to his dad, trying to be fast as possible. He slipped his jeans off quickly and put on the black cargo pants along with everything else. Alec grabbed a bow from a nearby table and slung the arrows across his back. He grabbed the seraph blade off the table too and handed it to his son. 

“Look at my boys, dressed and ready to go,” Magnus said in aw. He waited for Alec and Rafael to reach the door until he kissed Alec on the lips and Rafael on the head. “You two be safe, okay? I love you both.”

“I love you, papa,” said Rafael, reaching for the door to get out. 

“Love you, Magnus,” Alec kissed him goodbye one last times before they were out of the training room.


	2. Chapter 2

Both Alec and Rafael highlighted their stamina runes with their stele before running out of the institute. 

“Where are we going?” Rafael asked, not knowing if his dad could even hear him over the wind. 

“A few streets down. There was a report of a few ravener demons tormenting some mundanes,” his father replied. 

They continued to run, dodging all the mundanes that couldn't see them. Just because they were glamoured and invisible to the mundanes didn't mean that they couldn't hit them. 

It seemed like it the location was more than just a few blocks away as Rafael’s leg were beginning to feel tired. It wasn't too often that Rafael got to go a mission. He enjoyed it, after all he was a Shadowhunter. But it was rare for Rafael and his dad to go in a mission together. It was often Jace and Alec who went on missions, if there was even a demon attack or any problem. Things started to calm down after the Dark War. 

Alec stopped all of a sudden and Rafael followed. His breathing was slightly heavy as he inhaled and his dad put a single finger to his lips, signaling Rafe to be quiet. 

Alec ducked into a dark alley, in between two buildings. Rafael followed, grabbing his seraph blade from his belt. The air became colder as absolutely no sun reach the alleyway and it smelled like dust and feces. Rafael crinkled his nose at the scent and watched his dad grab an arrow from behind his back and load it into the bow. They walked steadily down the cold strip of concrete. 

The sound a nails against chalk board made both of them tense up. Then came a thump and a clank as something hit the ground. Alec fired his arrow at the demon, that was now visible. The demon ducked, and covered the body of a mundane. The mundane was still breathing, but it was heavy. 

Alec fired again, this time hitting the demon in the leg. It stumbled backwards, away from the body. Rafael approached the demon as it was vulnerable and was paying attention to his father. Alec pulled another arrow from his back and fired. At the same time, Rafael lunged at the demon, his seraph blade piercing the demon's chest. Ash fell down as the demon disappeared. 

The mundane laid silently against the ground. Her arm was covering her face and her body was turned towards them. Long, brown hair glinted in the small amount of sunlight that the alley was receiving. Rafael looked at his father. He was staring down at the mundane. They could tell that her abdomen was bleeding by the amount of blood that had soaked into her shirt. She must've been bitten. 

Rafael walked up to her, his boots right at her jacket. She was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and an army green jacket. He knelt down, pushing her arm away from her face. It was obvious that she was dead, her heavy breathing stopped. Her eyes were open and it made Rafael slightly uncomfortable, but he couldn't look away. Her eyes were green, not Clary’s bright, emerald green, but a murky, swampy green. Freckles were sprawled across her cheeks and onto her forehead. Rafael sighed while rummaging through her jacket pockets. He was looking for some sort of identification, a name or age, maybe where she was from. He finally found her wallet, took it out of her jacket and unzipped it. He pulled out her driver's license and read her name. 

“Adrienne Bennett,” Rafael said, standing up. “Adrienne Bennett was her name.” He handed his dad the ID. He looked over it then flipped in between his fingers to see if there was anything on the back side. 

“She was only nineteen,” Alec said, feeling the guilt in his chest. Shadowhunters weren't big fans of mundanes, in fact, most hated them, but it was still their job to protect them. “I want to bring her body back to the morgue. We need to examine her and make sure that the Shax demon didn't lie their eggs in her.” Alec pulled out his phone. “I'm calling papa. He’ll portal us back to the institute.”

Rafael wandered back to the girl. He hated when mundanes died. The poor girl lost her life because they couldn't get to her fast enough. Now she was dead, with no life ahead of her. 

“Yeah we got the demon. It was a Sahx demon, but the mundane, she died,” Rafe heard his dad say to his papa. “We’re going to bring her back to the morgue.” Rafael picked her up, knowing that in a few hours he would be invading her body with scissors and sharp objects. Her body laid limp in his arms, her head falling over his arm with her mouth slightly parted. 

He felt his own phone buzz in his pocket. Trying to balance the dead girl on one arm, he grabbed his phone and pulled it out. It was Max. 

Wanna meet at Taki’s? Around 12:30 ish?

Rafael waited until Alec was done on the phone. He slipped it back into his pocket and gave Rafael the look that they needed to get going. 

“Dad,” Rafael said and Alec looked at him. “Max wants to meet me at Taki’s around 12:30. It's noon right now. Can I go?” He asked, hoping that his dad would say yes because he did not want to cut this girl up. 

Alec sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Rafael couldn't help but notice how young his dad looked. He was only thirty four, but had a seventeen and fifteen year old sons. Magnus and Alec adopted Rafael when he was five back in 2012. Alec was twenty two and nobody knows how old Magnus was. When they all went out as a family, Max concealed his blue skin and Magnus concealed his car eyes, but Magnus insisted that they didn't hide away from the mundanes. Rafael could imagine what their family looked like when walking the New York streets. Rafael and Magnus were beginning to look the same age and neither Max or Rafael looked anything like their parents, not like they would. 

“Yeah, go ahead,” his dad told him. 

They traded off the mundane and Rafael watched his dad step through the blue portal Papa him. They said goodbye, then Rafael took off towards Taki's. It wasn't too far away from where he was already. 

Yeah, be there soon. Was just out with dad. He texted Max back quickly. 

 

When Alec returned to the institute he found himself already in the morgue. Jace and Magnus were already there, ready to go. Alec laid the girl down on a table. 

“She was nineteen. Her names Adrienne Bennett,” he informed them, grabbing gloves. 

“Where's Rafe?” Jace asked him. “He went with you, right?”

“He got a text from Max asking to meet a Taki’s. Magnus was just about to portal us back so I let him go.”

“Ooh,” Magnus’ face contorted as he cringed at the sight of the wound. “Looks like she was ripped apart.”

“Yeah, it definitely got her good,” Jace said, rolling her on to her side trying to get a better look. He grinded his teeth.

“She was still breathing by the time we got there, but the demon was hanging right overtop of her, there wasn't anything we could do to help her until we killed the demon,” Alec told them. “I don't think Rafael liked the outcome of everything, her dying and everything.”

“Rafael is a little more sensitive than most Shadowhunters, he'll learn that you can't save everyone, Alexander,” Magnus placed a hand on his husband’s shoulder. 

“I suppose so.”

“Alright, let's get started. I promised Charlie that I would help him with some sword training today.”

Alec handed Jace a pair of scissors. He began to cut away at her shirt, only cutting around her wound. He discarded the bloody cloth and turned her onto her stomach to see if the wound extended to her back, but it did not. He put the scissors down and a grabbed a scalpel. He returned her to her back and pressed the scalpel to a shard of skin that was hanging off her body. He slid the scalpel down, removing the skin and putting it on a different tray. He continued to process until the wound was left without any loose skin. 

“Luckily, I don't think the demon had time to lay it’s eggs,” Jace informed the two. They both nodded in response.

“Thanks goodness, that is the last thing I wanted to deal with today,” Alec let out a breath. 

“Shax demons,” Magnus said still looking at the girl, “They do some weird thing to mundanes.”

 

Rafael walked into Taki’s with a chime of the door. He searched around for his brother and his blue skin, but he didn't see him. Everyone in the restaurant turned. Taki’s was a restaurant where all of the Downworlders and Shadowhunters were able to attend. Rafael could've sworn that he heard a growl, but he ignored and smiled at the waitress. He seated himself and felt self-conscious as everyone stared at him. 

Rafael sunk into the booth. The seats had blue cushioning that was starting to crack away. He pulled out his phone, distracting himself from the stares. 

Here. He texted Max and waited for a response. He fiddled with the napkin dispenser. 

Literally just turning the corner, be there soon. Max answered. 

The bell at the top of the door chimed. Instantly looking up, Rafael hoped that it was his brother, but two vampires strolled in. The door was just closing as a blue hand pushed it back open. Max walked through the door and smiled at Rafe as he saw him. 

Max slid into the other side of the booth, the blue cushions clashing with his skin. “You look happy,” Max said sarcastically. 

Rafael laughed a bit, he couldn't get his mind off the dead mundane. “Good morning to you too.”

“It's the afternoon, Rafe,” Max informed Rafael. 

“Whatever. How was your magic training with Catarina?” He asked. Max didn't want to be trained by papa so a close warlock friend agreed to take the weekends off at the Scholomance to help Max. 

“Good, it's good. I think I'm finally understanding things, you know?” Rafael nodded. “How was your morning?”

“I didn't really do anything. I woke up, went to the institute and found out that Anna's sick. Then dad and I got called for a mission. We just got done with that,” he checked his phone for the time, “like a half hour ago.” He put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. 

“How'd that go?”

“Well,” Rafael sighed. “We got the demon, not the mundane.” Max wrinkled his nose, knowing that Rafe wouldn't want to talk about it. “Did you know that there's an annual ball that we’re going to?,” he asked Max, trying to change the subject. 

“A ball?” His blue eyebrow quirked up. 

“What would you two want today?” The waitress asked, interrupting the conversation. 

“Uh,” Rafael started but turned to Max letting him order first. 

“Can I just have a water please,” Max asked, the waitress nodded and turned back to Rafael. 

“I'll have a coffee.”

“Just coffee? No blood infusions or anything?” she asked. 

Rafael’s eyebrows knitted together. Wasn't it obvious that he wasn't a vampire. “Just coffee, thank you,” he said politely. The waitress hurried off and they continued their conversation. 

“So a ball? Like a party?” Max asked, returning back to their last thought. 

“From what I understand, yes.”

“I bet papa is overjoyed,” Max laughed. 

“Yeah,” Rafe huffed. “He just wants to dress us up and make us look pretty.” The waitress returned with their orders. She placed them down and quietly said “Enjoy”. 

“I've actually been thinking about something, Rafe,” Max said. 

“Alright, talk to me,” Rafael responded, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“Catarina told me a while ago that she’s thinking about going back to the Academy to teach full time.”

“She doesn't like the Scholomance?” Rafael asked, not sure where Max was going. 

“She finds it lonely their. Anyways, I've been thinking about going with her.”

Rafael’s eyes widened. “Like move their? They train Shadowhunters there, not warlocks, Max,” Rafael reminded him. 

“I know that. But I would have so much more time to learn and I could teach with her too,” he exclaimed.

Rafael breathed in, rubbing his hands over his face. He didn't want his little brother to go even if it was to a safe area. “Have you talked to dad or papa about this?”

“No.”

“You know that they won't like the idea and will probably be super opposed to it,” he informed his little brother. 

“Yeah, I figured.”

Rafael didn't like the idea and was super opposed to it. Max was just fifteen and wasn't ready to live without his family. Sure, he was responsible and mature for his age, but he still needed to be raised by his dads and have a childhood. “How are you going to bring it up to them?”

“Well… I was planning on going then getting Catarina to explain to them. Papa would understand better if it was coming from Catarina,” he told Rafael and his jaw dropped. 

“You were planning on leaving and not telling everyone, then make papa’s friend explain to our parents what happened to you? Max! You can't do that!” Rafael raised his voice. 

“Come on, Rafe!” Max leaned forward. “I could really learn from this.” His blue eyes seemed angry. 

“Papa can teach you at home,” Rafael offered, but he already knew that Max didn't want papa to teach him. He shook his head. Leaning back into the booth, he crossed his arms and slumped down. He looked so childish when he was pouting. “Look Max, I want my brother to stay home and grow up. I want to be able to see you everyday without having to portal somewhere and so do dad and papa.”

He grabbed his water. His hands getting slightly wet from the condensation on the side. He brought it to his mouth and took a sip, the ice jingled as it hit the sides. “I have to do it if I ever want to become a powerful warlock,” Max said. 

Rafael played with the cup of coffee, moving it around. His gaze was focused down until he looks up, “Please stay, Max.”

“You want to be a good Shadowhunter, right?” Max asked. 

Rafael shrugged. “Yeah.”

“And what do you have to do in order to become a great Shadowhunter?” Rafael opened his mouth, but Max took the words from his mouth. “You have to train and so do I, Rafe.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New people means a new story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello!   
> I've decided to post a new chapter every Wednesday so you can be on a lookout for that:)

It was nearly two o'clock by the time Rafael and Max returned to the institute. They had stopped arguing, but Rafael was still not a fan of Max moving out. He knew that their parents probably wouldn't respond well to the idea, but he knew that It wouldn't stop Max from trying. 

They found everyone in the kitchen. Anna was up and feeling better and Charlie was running around with a mock sword in his grip. Chatting and laughing filled the room as everyone sat around the table. 

“Hello,” Max said to the big group of people. 

“Maxy!” Anna squealed, clearly excited to see her cousin. She ran towards and hugged his waist. He simply patted her on the back. 

“How was Catarina today, Max?” Papa asked. His arm was around Alec's shoulder. 

“She's good.” Rafael nudged him, encouraging him to tell their parents about his plan to go to the Academy with Catarina since she was already brought up. Max nudged his brother back, a bit harder than Rafael did before. A not pleased Rafael kicked his brother’s leg, making him stumble. Max came back and punched Rafael in the arm. He was already wearing gear from the mission and hadn't taken it off so he barely felt a thing. Rafael grabbed his wrist. 

“Stop, Max,” he told him and couldn't help but feel like he was towering over his little brother. Max was a lot shorter than Rafael was. Although Rafael was just two years older, Max barely showed up at his shoulder.

“Boys!” Papa said. They both turned their heads and realized that everyone was staring at them. Even Charlie had stopped swinging around his mock sword to watch them have a brotherly fight. “What are you two doing?”

“Max has something to tell you,” Rafael piped up, knowing that Max would deny it 

“No I don't.” Max crossed his arms. He scowled at his brother, angry that he was trying to bring up his ideas in front of everyone.

“We literally just talked about this at Taki’s, Max,” he whispered. 

Max looked at his brother with an annoyed look on his face, his shoulders slumped. Rafael didn't understand why he didn't want to tell dad and papa. They eventually going to find out anyways. 

“Come here, Blueberry,” Alec said while he scooted his chair out. There was obviously something on Max's mind that he didn't want to talk about. Max walked over, his arms still crossed as he passed Jace and Simon. He sat down on his dad’s lap and Alec wrapped his arms around him in an act of comfort. “What do you want to tell us?”

Max looked at Izzy and Clary who sat in front of him. Their heads were cocked to the sides, waiting to hear what Max had to say. Then he looked at Rafael. His hip was leaning against the kitchen counter, his dark hair falling in front of his vision. He wasn't looking at Max, he was looking to the left and the ground, exposing his deflect rune on his neck that he insisted went there since his dad's was located in the same place. 

He bowed his head and talked quickly, “Catarina is thinking of going back to the Academy full time. The Scholomance is too lonely and she says that she can't handle it.” Everyone's eyes narrowed, curious to know what he was going to say next. “I thought that maybe if I went with her, to the Academy, that I would have a lot more time to train.”

“My darling,” Magnus ruffled his blue curls, “the Academy is for Shadowhunters.” Magnus reminded him. 

“I know, but don't you think that they could make an exception?”

“Max, you're only fifteen,” Alec said. Their parents sometimes spoke to Max as if he was a child and it bothered Rafael. 

“I don't want my little Max to go away,” Clary said, a frown on her face, but it didn't change Max's mind. 

“Please, Papa,” Max begged and Rafael rolled his eyes. 

“How about we talk about this later, Blueberry,” Magnus told him. “Besides, I have some good news for you boy,” papa started and rafael was almost certain that he didn't want to hear it. “The ball that I mentioned to you earlier this morning, Rafael.” He looked up, meeting his papa’s eyes. “It's a masquerade party.”

Rafael chewed his lip. “Well, I'm going to put in a request now to get me a mask that ties in the back. I don't want to have to hold one of masks on a stick to my face all night, you know the ones you see in mundane movies,” Rafael said. He felt a little arm tug on his pants. He looked down and met Anna's eyes. He knew that she wanted to be picked up. Although she was eight, she always wanted to be close to someone. So he lifted her by her armpits till she rested on his hip. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders. “When even is this party?” He asked. 

“A few weeks, and Charlie's rune ceremony is in three,” Jace answered and Charlie looked up at the sound of his name. He was now sitting quietly beside his parents.

Rafael wasn't particularly excited about this ball, in fact he would've preferred to just stay home and have a night to himself. “Annie, how about we stay home the night of the ball and I can help you with your knife throwing?” He asked the little girl. A smile spread across her cheeks as she nodded. 

“Rafe, don't persuade her into not going,” Magnus grumbled. 

“Persuasion? I never persuaded her, she agreed to my good idea.” He looked at her. “Right, Annie?” She nodded. 

“We're all going. No ifs ands or buts,” Jace said firmly and Rafael frowned, not pleased with his uncle. 

“You can hang out with me at the ball, Rafe,” Anna suggested. 

Rafael smiled, laughing a little, “I would love to hang out with you, Annie.” He gave her a gentle hug. 

Simon watched Rafael intently. He was constantly surprised by the way Rafael was able to interact with Anna so well. Their big age gap left nearly no similarities for them to bond over, but he always made her feel special. He knew that someday, he would make a great, caring father. 

 

Weeks passed and Max still hadn't won over dad and papa into letting him go to the Academy full time. Though they argued for a few a days, they were nice enough to let him go for a two weeks after they returned from the ball. Catarina agreed to watch over him while she wasn't teaching and to supply him with all his needs. 

Alec wasn't too happy about Max leaving still. There was always the thought of his young warlock being bullied in a place full of Shadowhunters. 

“It's just like one of the mundane camps, Alexander,” Magnus tried to relieve his thoughts. “Catarina will take of him, she won't let anything happen.” He kissed him lightly. Alec sighed. 

Rafael spent more time at the institute. He wanted to do more training with his dad and Simon had asked him to help Anna. Some nights, he spent hours there, sometimes he didn't even leave. He had his own bedroom at the institute for nights that he spent there, though it wasn't too often. 

It was 11 o'clock pm by the time Rafael finished his training for the day. He laid flat on his bed at the institute. The bed at the institute was much different from his regular bed. He wasn't used to the firmness and smallness of the institute bed. His toes were squished against the footboard when he was fully extended. 

He pulled out his phone, trying to have some downtime to himself before he fell asleep. He groaned when the first thing he saw was a text message from his papa. 

After you're done at the institute, come back home. I need your help with something...

Rafael rubbed his face. He did not want to leave

I'm really tired, papa. Can I stay here tonight and meet you in the morning? He replied and waited for an answer. 

I need you tonight to finish up the clothing for the ball. I'll create a portal for you.

The blue, swishing portal popped up before Rafael could even respond. He slid his phone into his pocket again and braced himself for the suction of the portal. Nearly everyday Rafael traveled by portal. It was a big plus to having a warlock father, but he never liked the sensation of it. It made him feel nauseous every time. But he stepped into the portal anyways, closing his eyes and letting it take control over. Everything was whooshing loudly in his ears, making them hurt, then it stopped. He opened his and he stood in front of his father. 

“Alright, your dad and brother are already sleeping so we must be quiet.” His papa pressed a single to his lips. 

“You don't think that the loud ass portal would wake them up already?” Rafael whispered back in a hushed voice. 

Magnus snickered. “Very true.” He turned around to the sofa, which had plenty of clothing on it, and pulled off a navy suit with white micro stripes running down vertically. It was such a dark blue that it nearly looked black. “Try this on.” He handed him the suit and Rafael grabbed the hanger. 

He walked to the bathroom in the hallway of their loft and shut the door. He slipped on the clothing like he was told and examined himself in the mirror. His hand skimmed over the blue, velvet lapels of the suit. For once, Rafael thought he looked decent. He turned the knob and walked out to the silent living room. 

Magnus was searching for Alec's clothing, trying to organize everything when he heard his son. He glanced over, then turned to see his suit. 

“Rafael,” Magnus said and Rafe looked up. He was still examining the arm length. “I don't think I've ever seen you in a suit before now thinking about it.” He walked closer and put his hand on his shoulder. “You look so grown up, you look so handsome.”

Rafael turned his head away and huffed. “I'm seventeen, papa. I'm not little anymore.”

Magnus nodded, trying to take in the look of his eldest son. He looked wonderful in his suit. “Wait, I nearly forgot,” Magnus put a finger up and rushed to the sofa. He grabbed a blue, velvet mask that matched the lapels. “Here. I even took in your request and attached a string to the back so your arm won't get tired.”

“Thank you, papa. I love you,” Rafael said feeling the velvet beneath his fingers. 

“Alright, take this off and get to bed, we have to be up early tomorrow for the ball,” Magnus informed Rafael, who had seemed to forget. 

 

Rafael was waken from a deep slumber the next morning. He sighed and pulled his knees to his chest and tried to fall back asleep, but he was rudely awaken by his little brother. 

“Rafe, get up,” his brother said, opening his door then closing it. He sprawled his body all over his bed, enjoying the next few minutes where he would go undisturbed. 

He ended up rolling out of bed a few minutes later. He didn't bother to brush his teeth and combed his hair before making an appearance in the kitchen. 

“Your clothing is on the coffee table,” papa told him as he put some bread in the toaster. He looked tired this morning, but that was what makeup was for. 

He rummaged through all the masks and suits until he found his. He looked at it on last time before putting it on. It looked different now that the early morning sun was hitting it, but he still thought it looked nice. 

He rushed to the bathroom once again, nearly hitting Max as he came out and Rafael was going in. He caught a glimpse of his plain black and white suit. Rafael knew why it was just black and white, papa didn't want any colours to clash with his blue skin. He pulled his clothing on as quick as possible, trying to give someone else the chance to get ready. He brushed his teeth and combed through his tangled mess of curls before heading back out. 

“You look nice,” Max said, his voice was slightly filled with jealousy. 

“As do you,” he responded and patted his brother on the back. 

“Not like the way you do,” was his response and Rafael's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “You look… like a man.”

He couldn't help but laugh. “Hey! At least once you get a little older, you'll always look like a healthy, handsome man,” reassured Rafael. Max smiled, his blue lips forming a thin line.

Everyone is in a rush. Rafael and Max tried to scramble and eat as fast as the good without getting crumbs all over their clothing. Their papa hadn't a even gotten dressed himself, he was too worried about everything else. 

“We have to look perfect,” he said, buttoning up his husbands gray shirt. Rafael was surprised by his dad's choice of clothing. He was wearing black dress pants, a gray button up shirt and beige suspenders. To finish off the look, his black hair was ruffled into a tidy mess. 

“Go, get ready, Mags,” Alec responded kissing his husband. 

“Papa, if you don't get your stuff on fast, we’ll be late! And you hate being late,” Max pointed and Magnus agreed. 

“Luckily, your father is a warlock and can,” he snapped his fingers and his sweats and t-shirt changed into his suit, “change his clothes in a heartbeat.” Max smiled. He admired and looked up to his papa so much. He strived to be a warlock like him one day. 

Magnus opened the portal to the institute. From there, they would gather everyone up and portal themselves to the ball. He swirled his fingers around a few times then forcefully pushed his hand out. The swishing blue aura filled the room and they all stepped through. 

Rafael nearly fell when they landed in the institute and his stomach felt sick. They ended up in the entrance, right in front of the doors. 

For a few moments it was silent. Everything in the institute was dead until they heard the clicking of heels against the marble floors. Izzy, Simon and Anna arrived first. They looked to be out of breath and tired. Izzy took out her phone and used it as a mirror, trying to fix her hair that was half ruined by the run to the entrance. 

Clary, Jace and Charlie arrived last. Everyone scowled at them as the walked in slowly. Jace cocked an eyebrow, confused on everyone looked unimpressed. “Oh, are we holding everyone up?”

Alec checked his watch 11:23 a.m. “Indeed you are.”

 

Rafael was officially sick of portal traveling when the arrived at the Toronto institute. He wasn't too sure that he was going to make it back to New York without vomiting on the way home. 

He and his family found themselves landed on the steps in front of the grand doors. They were wood, the handles gold and engraved with runes of all sort. Everything was so similar to the New York institute, but yet so different. The old church stood high in the sky as beautiful as could be, but I mundanes, it would just appear as an old, abandoned place with no life. 

It was Jace who finally knocked on the door. Nobody answered. He paused for a moment, looking back at the rest of the group in confusion. Checking his watch, it was 11:28 and the party began at 11:30. He knocked again, this time harder and when he pulled back his knuckles were red. Together, they waited until they heard scurrying feet. The door creaked open slowly and a women's head popped out. 

“Hello?” She asked, her hair in a tangled mess. 

“Hi” Magnus spoke up. “We were invited to the masquerade ball.’’ He stuck his out out, introducing himself. Her face contorted in confusion as she let the door widen. 

“The ball doesn't begin until 7:00 p.m,” the lady informed them. It all made sense now. Nobody was crowding the door, there's was no chatter in the open room and the lady at the institute was not dressed for the occasion. 

“Our dearest apologies, mam,” Magnus said while taking a step away from the door to leave. “We’ll be on our way, then return at the proper time.”

The lady opened the door fully and said, “No worries.” She smiled nicely and waved them to come in. 

“Thank you, but we really don't want to intrude. There are so many of us and there's no issues with coming back later,” said Isabelle. 

“No, no,” the lady cooed. “It would be nice to visit and talk before the ball. It does get to be very busy with all the people.” 

Jace looked to Clary, who looked to Alec, and Alec looked to Magnus. As much as they offered to leave, the woman continues to ask them to stay, saying that it would be rude to make them go. 

Rafael grabbed Anna’s hand and followed his family into a unfamiliar place. The entrance was beautiful. Granite flooring, wooden staircases and a glass chandelier were all visible from just a step insides. Rafael could only wonder what the rest of the institute looked like. 

“I'm Kimberley Stonefade by the way,” she smiled and led them farther into the institute.

Everyone introduced themselves and they managed to find their way to a living area that laid in the back of the entrance. They sat down, Anna squished in between her older cousins. Stained glass windows painted a pretty picture of colours along the floor when the sun hit them. Pictures of runes, Shadowhunters, and angles hung neatly on the walls. 

“How is the institute in New York doing?” Kimberley asked kindly, sitting down on a matching velvet chair in front of the large group. 

“It's doing very well, actually,” Jace replied while clasping his hands together. “Everything's settled down since we had kids.” He patted Charlie's back and he smiled. 

“Yes, I heard that you all had kids,” she said. 

“Yep. Clary and I have Charlie, Simon and Isabelle have Anna and Magnus and Alec,” he leaned over the point to Rafe and Max, “have Rafael and Max.”

Rafael looked up, meeting Kimberley's eyes. They were a glassy blue, but something in her eyes gave Rafe an unsettling feeling

“How old are you, my dear?”

“Seventeen,” Rafael responded not knowing where the conversation was going, but when he responded, she eased back into her chair. 

The adults continued to talk, but Rafael fiddled around with a loose string in his suit pocket. He heard the occasional words of ‘Institute’, ‘Academy’ and even ‘Demon’ a few times before he nudged his brother in the arm. 

“Max, I've go to go the bathroom,” he whispered. 

“Me too, I'll come with you.”

“Umm,” Rafael started, but felt rude interrupting, “is there a washroom that we could use?” He asked politely, but she still gave a look of annoyance. 

“Sure, there is one down the hall that's on the left and then you take a right,” she answered before falling back into a conversation with Jace about Idris. 

Rafael stood up, his butt hurting from sitting on the couch. Although it looked soft, it was rather unpleasant to sit on. Max followed back behind him as he made his way through the maze of his family's legs and bodies. 

Down the hall on the left and then take a right, Rafe repeated the words the Kimberley said to him. He made a face. There were multiple hallways on the left side of the entrance so he just picked one, not wanting to bother them again. 

“Do you even know where you're going, Rafe?” Max asked. 

Rafael shrugged. “No,” he laughed. “I don't know how anybody would find their way through here.”

Max agreed with him and the kept walking into an endless hallway of doors. 

The Toronto Institute had to be larger than the New York Institute. There were more rooms, more floors, but less people. In fact, the Institute was dead. No matter how far Max and Rafe walked down the hallway, there was no sign of life. Rafael was beginning to wonder if Kimberley ran the Institute alone. 

“Wait!” Max exclaimed. “It's right there!” He pointed towards a wooden door and on it read a sign saying ‘washroom’. 

They both nearly ran to the door in excitement. Rafael couldn't wait any longer, he had to go badly, but when he turned the handle and opened the door he heard a shriek. 

“By the angel! Who are you! Get out, get out.”

Rafael turned his head to the right. In the mirror stood a girl, a shocked look on her face. She wore a fluffy blue robe around her body and her hair was wrapped neatly in a towel. Her arms were around her chest as if she was naked. 

As soon as Rafe realized what had happened he closed the door. “I'm so sorry!,” he panicked. 

“Who are you?” The girl asked through the door. Her voice was strong and serious. 

“My family is here for the ball. Only my dad got the times mixed up, so a lady let us stay and visit. My brother and I were looking for a bathroom. I need to pee,” he answered as Max kept mouthing ‘what happened?’ ‘who's that?’.

The door creaked open the tiniest bit and she peaked her head through. Both of them we were wearing suits, had no weapons and by the why the older brother stood, it seemed that he wasn't lying about have to go to the washroom. 

“If you give me 3 minutes, you can have the bathroom.” Her voice was stern.

Rafael stepped away and nodded, still feeling embarrassed about the whole situation. Occasionally, things like this would happen with his brother or the one time that he walked in on his parents doing something that Rafael swore to never talk about again, but this was different. It wasn't his family, it was a complete stranger who had just gotten out of the shower, and was luckily covered.

They stood in silence. Max didn't bother to ask anymore question, he put the puzzle pieces together and understood everything. 

Finally, she came out of the bathroom window th a scowl on her face. She was dressed now, though her hair was still knotted in the towel. She was wearing black jeans and a light grey hoodie. 

“I'm Abigail, by the way.” She stuck out a hand that was traced with runes. 

“Rafael,” he murmured and shook her hand. “This is my little brother Max.” She shook is hand too. He ussured Max to go to the bathroom first as he felt the need to apologize. “Look, um,” Rafael started, but he noticed that Abigail was already starting to walk away. “Sorry about that. I had no idea that you were in there.” He scratched his head. 

She turned around. Her eyes were magnificent. A green colour with grey flecks sprawled around in her irises. She had taken her brown hair out from the towel and was drying it off. It was hard for Rafael to not notice her beauty. He had never really been around any other girls besides his family, and didn't have any idea how to behave around them. 

“No worries,” she said, but still seemed annoyed. “You just scared me is all.” She backed up slowly waiting for Rafael to say something else. He didn't say, because he didn't know what to say. Instead, he nodded. “I guess I'll see you tonight?”

The bathroom door opened and Max came out. 

“Yeah, yeah. See you,” Rafe replied feeling stupid.

Once she disappeared into a different hallway, Max looked at him, smiled and said, “I can't believe that just happened.”

“Me too.”

Max playfully punched his older brother in the arm. “Was she wearing clothes when you walked in?” He laughed. 

Rafael turned to glare at his brother quickly. “She was wearing clothes, you gross little teenager,” he teased. 

“How unfortunate,” he sighed. “She was rather pretty.” 

Rafael laughed and reached for the bathroom door, happy that he finally got the chance to go. 

 

Magnus didn't even notice the tall, dark haired man walking down one of the staircases of the Toronto Institute. He was an older man, face beginning to wrinkle and flecks of grey in his hair. When he reached the group, he stood behind Kimberley and put her hand on her shoulder. She touched his hand gently. 

“Daniel, I was just speaking of you,” she told him as she turned her head. 

He paused looking at everyone with a blank face. “I did not realize that we were going to have company this early, Kim,” his eyes lingered as he spoke. 

“Yes, well, times were mixed up so they stayed for a visit,” Kim informed him, but he didn't seem pleased. 

He nodded. “Where is Abigail?” he asked, his lips forming a thin line. 

“I'm not sure, dear,” she started. “I haven't seen her this morning other than at breakfast.”

“Alright.” Taking his hand off his wife's shoulder, he clasped them together. “I'm going to go find her and talk to her before the party.”

Kim nodded and smiled as her husband left. She waited for him to leave before saying, “He's been so odd these past few days.”

 

Abigail was walking through the halls trying to get back to her room. Her hair was still wrapped in a towel from her shower that she had just recently had. 

She smiled, laughing a little about what had happened a few minutes ago. She was scared for a second when the boy had opened the door, but the look that was on his face overruled any fear. 

“Abigail?” 

She paused at the sound of her name. 

“Abigail!” It was her father. His voice was loud and strong with a concerning tone to it. It wasn't how he normally said her name with grace, letting the word roll off his tongue nicely. She could here heavy footsteps like someone was running.“Where are you?” He sounded so scared. 

“I'm here dad!” Not knowing what was happening, she ran to the sound of her father’s voice. Growing up as a Shadowhunter, Abigail and all the rest were taught to face fears as it was their job to protect the world, but now, she couldn't find courage to do anything until she found the reasoning behind her dad’s concerns.

She turned the corner on the hallway sharply, hearing her dad call out her name one more time. 

“Dad, I'm here-” Abigail fell the the ground as she hit the wall. Reaching for her head, she could already feel it pounding. She groaned and rolled over onto her side. 

“By the angel!” exclaimed another voice. “Why does this keep happening to me!”

Abigail opened her eyes. What she thought was a wall was actually Rafael, the boy that encountered a few minutes. His brother stood behind him, his jaw dropped. 

“What just happened?” She asked completely dazed. 

“You just ran full force into Rafael, fell and hit your head on the wall,” the blue boy answered as if he knew everything. 

Rafael stuck an arm out to help pull her up. She used her left to brace her neck, and grabbed his calloused hand with the right. Gently, he pulled her up. She didn't realize his height when she was walking out of the bathroom, but now it was obvious that he was a whole head taller than her. 

“Are you okay?” Rafael asked while pushing the hair out of his eyes. 

“Where's my dad?” Abigail ignored Rafael question. 

“Was he the one calling you?”

“Yes,” she answered annoyed. “Have you seen him? Where is he?” She was so anxious. 

“I haven't seen anybody…” He shook his head. “I don't know where he is.”

Just as Abigail was going to leave and venture out to find her dad, she heard her name again. This time it was closer. Close enough that it was almost like her was standing right beside her. 

A hand was placed on her shoulder from behind. She turned instantly, knowing that it wasn't Rafael or his brother because they stood in front of her. It was her dad, breathing hard. 

“Who are you two?,” he panted. 

“We’re with the group that's visiting with your wife. We just had to use the washroom,” Max answered again. 

“Look,” Abigail's dad started. “We need to get out of here. Like now. All of us.”

She shook her head, “Why? What's wrong?” Her forehead crinkled in curiosity. 

“Come with me and I'll explain,” he said. 

He took off at his words and the others followed, curious to know what was going on. They twisted through the halls that Rafael couldn't even remember walking down to get to the washroom. 

Abigail's dad looked back to them, making sure everyone was following him and then said, “I was with your mother this morning and I saw,” he gulped for air. “that she didn't have her birthmark on her left shoulder. I thought maybe that I was wrong because this hasn't happened in so long, but I confirmed it when I met the group from New York.”

Rafael and Max were lost. They didn’t understand a single thing that was just said, yet it all made sense to Abigail. Even from running behind her, Rafe could her jaw grinding in frustration. 

 

“There’s people with her, dad. What are we going to do?’’ she asked.

 

He inhaled sharply. “We're going to go to the weapons room, we're going to go back, make sure everyone is safe and leave.”

 

“Leave? Dad, we can’t just leave! All the people coming tonight are just going to show up and have to deal with some crazy lunatic!”

 

“I'll figure something out,” he sighed. “For now, we have to make sure everyone's safe.”

 

When the four of them finally reaches the weapons room, Rafael felt relieved. Having a seraph blade in his hand at the time of trouble that he still didn't understand, made him feel the littlest bit comfortable. 

 

It didn't take them long to grab the stuff that they needed before scrambling out the door like mice. Whatever was happening, he knew that this lady that Abigail and her father were so concerned about, was with his family, and his main priority was to make sure that they were okay. 

 

They passed some more doors and made their way through more halls, but then everything paused. Abigail's dad pressed a single finger to his lips, telling them to be quiet. He peaked his head over the corner and them waved them to go.

 

Rafael turned back to his little brother. Never had Max been in a scary situation like this and Rafe knew that he wouldn't know how to handle it.

 

“As soon as we get out there Max, you go find papa and dad, you understand,’’ Rafael asked, but meant it more as a demand. Blue eyes looked up at him. His blue curls bobbed up and down. 

 

“Alright, let's go,’’ Rafael said, turning back to see two faces looking at him. He couldn't help but notice how much Abigail looked like her father. Brown hair, greeny-grey eyes, same exact nose. But now wasn't the time to focus on that.

 

When the stepped out into the opened, nobody saw them at first. They approached the group slowly, seraph blades ready for anything. 

 

“Daniel, what are you doing?” Kim saw them and spoke first. 

 

“Don’t play those tricks on me, Margaret. We know it's you,’’ he answered avoiding her question. Who is this? Rafael thought. 

 

Her nose crinkled and she stood up. 

 

“Don't move or i’ll kill you,’’ said Daniel.

 

“You wouldn't dare to do such a thing.’’

 

Daniel slowly walked closer, his seraph blade sticking out. “I’ll do whatever to get you out of here.’’

 

Rafael felt Max run to their parents from behind him. He whispered into his papa’s ear, telling him everything that he knew and understood. Rafe saw the blue aura of a portal from the corner of his eye. His dad waved him over and he obeyed his action.

 

“Take Anna, Charlie and Max back,’’ his dad said, his voice barely at a whisper. “We’ll handle things from here.’’

 

Rafael did not want to follow through with his father’s orders, but we knew that if he argued with him, that it would only make things worse. So he grabbed Anna, Charlie and Max as Daniel and Kim continued to babble back and forth. 

 

“If you touch me, Daniel, I will kill your daughter.’’ Rafael heard as he was about to step through the portal.

 

“Abigail, go!’’ her dad said, standing in front of her. “Go with them.’’ he pointed towards the direction of the portal. “I’ll come and get you when everything is safe.’’

 

She shook her head, but her father continued to point. She inhaled and ran over to Rafael and the kids. She looked back one more time before stepping into the portal with strangers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that chapter.  
> It's considerably longer than the other two, and I'm expecting to only get longer.  
> I hope you're excited to see and learn more about Abigail and her family because it's going to get crazy.  
> see you all next week:)


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